For only the third time in its 25 years in Salem, XPO honored one of its drivers Monday afternoon for three million miles driven without an accident.
Jerry Wade of Salem was surprised by the police and fire escort, but initially thought he was going to get a ticket after two squad cars on the side of the highway pulled in behind him.
“I barely got over to the other lane, and they came out behind me, and I thought, oh, that new law now, everybody’s got to get over, and I didn’t get over far enough,” Wade said. “Now they’re going to pull me over. They just hung behind me, and I thought they were waiting for me to get up close to the rest area, that way we could pull off to the rest area and they could write me the ticket, but they didn’t turn the lights on.”
His wife, Andrea, kept the secret but told 17 other family members who had gathered at XPO with signs of congratulations. A number of the other drivers were also on hand, including David Frayser of Whittington and Brian Riddle of Salem, who were the first three million accident-free mile honorees at the Salem facility.
Wade has been driving for XPO for 31 years and transferred to the Salem facility when it opened in 2000 to improve his seniority. With his family growing up and going to school in Salem, he says it is a great town. While he can retire, Wade plans to continue behind the wheel. However, he says trucking has changed, and not for the better.
“It’s not the same as it used to be out there,” Wade said. “There used to be a lot of communication with other drivers with the CB radio, but now everybody’s on their phones. I mean, literally on their phones, driving down the road. On top of that, you’ve got a lot of drivers that don’t respect the laws.”
Wade was also surprised when a new truck with a veteran camouflage wrap on the front was unveiled by Salem Service Center Manager Josh Dunahee.
“This is his truck, and his truck solely to drive,” Dunahee said.
Wade is one of only 68 of XPO’s 12,700 drivers across the country to have earned the three-million-mile accident-free honor.
Wade was led into the Salem service center for the celebration by Marion County Sheriff’s Deputies, Salem Police, and the Salem Fire Protection District.
Family members hold signs to congratulate Jerry Wade on 3 million accident-free miles at XPO. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
Jerry Wade gathers with his family around his new truck, honoring being accident-free for 3 million miles. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
The three-million-mile safe driving award winners at Salem XPO, next to their trucks, are David Frayser of Whittington, Brian Riddle of Salem, and now Jerry Wade of Salem. Photo by Bruce Kropp.
